Episode Ep 86 June 14, 2026 37 min 5s

Emma in the Hot Seat: Lessons from 30 Years in Sustainability

From Straight Talking Sustainability Emma Burlow

In this special episode, the usual host Emma is interviewed by her colleague and co-founder of Not Sustainable, Rebecca Watson. The tables are turned as Emma shares her journey, expertise, and reflections on her 30-year career in sustainability. The conversation covers her background, the evolution of her work, her approach to training and advisory, and her motivation for supporting individuals and organisations in delivering meaningful sustainability action.

Highlights & Key Topics

Emma’s Background & Career Path

Started in sustainability in 1997, with a degree in Environmental Science and early experience in conservation and compliance (01:08)
Pivoted to work in climate and set up Lighthouse Sustainability, focusing on training and advisory work (01:55)

Approach to Training

Majority of Lighthouse’s work is carbon literacy training, including workshops, short courses, and "train the trainer" programmes (04:00)
Emphasis on building capacity in organisations by embedding skills internally (05:11)

Ideal Clients & Advisory Work

Works with a variety of organisations, from SMEs to large corporates (e.g., B&Q, BT, Openreach) (07:02)
Focused on helping organisations cut through complexity and set meaningful priorities (08:23)

Strategic Impact & Board-Level Support

Helps organisations integrate sustainability strategically, not just as an add-on (10:24)
Experience as a board member and strategic advisor, including roles such as CSO (13:13)

Hearts & Minds: The Importance of Motivation

Sustainability training is about engaging people’s values and motivations, not just technical knowledge (22:38)

Advice for Listeners

Don’t get stuck in the weeds: focus on what's material and significant (32:02)
Start where you are, leverage your influence, and don’t hesitate to seek external support or coaching (33:01)